San Antonio Spurs rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama recently was locked up by Dillon Brooks and was handed a nasty dose of 45 points by another solid international player not considered the generational world beater that Wemby is projected to be.
Welcome to the NBA, where everybody has skills and drop buckets, and while Wemby is a rookie and his supporting cast is meatloaf, he failed miserably on March 5 in the personal challenge of dealing with a physical center who is aggressive in the paint and will make Wemby work near the basket throughout the entire game.
Wemby is a unicorn, but he’s not equipped physically or skill wise to defend someone who is playing like Moses Malone. That’s not the kind of ball Wemby came up playing, nor what he expects in the NBA. The physicality is to be expected, especially from 7-footers. The constant beating in the paint is not.
Despite Wemby’s blocking ability and quickness around the rim, he’s no Bill Russell.
Alperen Sengun Gave Victor Wembanyama 45 Points
On the defensive end he couldn’t stop Rockets big man Alperen Sengun, who absolutely took the 20-year-old novice with just 56 NBA games under his belt to school.
Sengun went off in the Rockets’ 114-101 win, finishing with a career-high 45 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and five steals. It was the most points scored in a single game by a Turkish player in league history.
“I mean, yeah, of course [I had extra motivation to play Wembanyama],” said the 21-year-old Sengun, who broke into the league in 2021. “I didn’t play that well against him last game I can say. And I didn’t have many double teams, they just left me one-on-one with Wemby. I just did what I did.”
Wembanyama wasn’t much better offensively, getting held to 10 points on 4 of 10 shooting with 11 rebounds, 7 blocks and six turnovers. Adding insult to injury, Sengun disparaged Wemby’s physical prowess after the game.
“He’s so tall but he’s not that strong yet,” Sengun said. “I was going at his chest and putting him under the rim.”
What Was Wrong With Wemby?
Wembley was clearly out of his flow, failing to score or attempt a field goal in the second half for the first time this season.
NBA analyst Richard Jefferson dismissed it as a “bad game.” That is definitely true. Wemby had some moments, but for the most part it was one of the worst games of his career on both ends of the floor.
He could be hitting a rookie wall. Having to carry a team that’s tanking while you try to navigate your first season in the NBA is challenging. It’s tiring, and with all of the hype and fanfare that has surrounded the French talent, Wemby has a new NBA baller going after him each night, and they all have mega game.
Remember when Lonzo Ball was getting challenged every night after he was a controversial No. 2 overall pick of the Lakers? He was shredded cheese on some nights. It’s going to happen.
Sengun is an international talent, but less heralded than Wemby. For now, the third-year player from Turkey is not taking any back seats to the NBA’s new darling.
Sengun is averaging 21.3 points per game and 9.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and he’s shooting 53.9 percent from the field. He’s gotten better each season since 2022 and he’s also on an All-star trajectory.
So Wemby learned a lesson that your name and reputation doesn’t mean much in the NBA, until you’ve conquered all of your adversaries.
The games have to be played, and that will determine who the superior talent is. These are very beneficial growing pains for Wemby. Every great player has gotten destroyed by another player in a pro game.
The hovering defense by pesky Brooks and the physicality of Sengun seemed to put the leading candidate for NBA Rookie of the Year in a blender. Maybe it’s a blueprint on how to stop the multifaceted big man. Or maybe it’s a necessary step in the ascension of Victor Wembanyama.